This post will walk through implementing a process allowing a vRA portal user to specify a user account to be added to the local administrators group on a Windows server provisioned by vRA. There are plenty of posts out there, including a kb article, on adding the virtual machine requester (owner) to the administrators group if that is what you need to do. Before beginning I am assuming you have a fully working vRA installation (I’m using v7.2), and Windows templates with the vRealize Automation Guest Agent installed. Some blueprints would also be handy, but you can create those after.
We’ll need a script on the template Windows machine, in this example I’ve created a Scripts sub-folder within the VRMGuestAgent folder, and a new text file which I’ve saved as AdminUser.cmd. The full path therefore is C:\VRMGuestAgent\Scripts\AdminUser.cmd.
Copy and paste the following line into the batch file: Net localgroup administrators /add %1.
Log in to the vRA portal, for example https://*loadbalancer*/vcac/org/*tenant*. Open the Administration tab and select Property Dictionary. We need to provide the user with a field in the virtual machine request process for them to specify an account to be added as a local administrator. Click Property Definitions and New.
- Enter a name, it is best practice to use the tenant name, a dot, and then the name of the proeprty definition, for example YourTenant.AdminUser.
- Enter a useful description, this text will be displayed when the user points to the help symbol next to the field we’re adding in the virtual machine request.
- Change the Data type to String, and select whether you want the field to be mandatory.
- From the Display as drop-down menu select Textbox. Click Ok to save.
Next click Property Groups. If your blueprints are using an existing property group then click the property group. If you need to create a new property group click New and enter a name. The following lines need adding to the property group that is used, or will be used, by a blueprint.
- Name: VirtualMachine.Software0.Name
- Value: AdminUser
- Replace the value with an appropriate name for the property, I have used the same name as the script but it doesn’t have to match up.
- Name: VirtualMachine.Software0.ScriptPath
- Value: C:\VRMGuestAgent\Scripts\AdminUser.cmd {YourTenant.AdminUser}
- Replace the value with the location of the script on the template OS and include the squiggly brackets; with the name of the property definition we created earlier inside.
- Name: YourTenant.AdminUser
- Value:
- Show in Request: Yes
- Enter the name of the property definition we created earlier and leave the value blank (this will be entered by the user). Ensure Show in Request is ticked.
If you are already using VirtualMachine.Software0 for something else, such as adding the virtual machine owner to the local administrators group, then you can amend to VirtualMachine.Software1 and so on. When you’re done the entries should look something like this, click Ok.
If you haven’t yet assigned a property group to your blueprint then click the Design tab and Blueprints. Click the blueprint to edit, select the vSphere_Machine and click the Properties tab, from the Property Groups tab click Add.
Select the property group we recently created or changed and click Ok. Click Save and Finish. The values in the property group will now be applied to any virtual machines deployed from this blueprint, repeat as required for any other vSphere_Machines or blueprints.
Assuming your blueprint is published and has the necessary entitlements; click the Catalog tab. Locate the catalog item linked to the blueprint and click Request. Select the vSphere_Machine component and you’ll see the new field for the requester to enter the domain\user or user@domain account to be added to the Windows local Administrator group. If you opted to make data input mandatory you’ll see an asterisk next to the new field.
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